BY WENDI REARDON
Clarkston News Sports Writer
Seniors Josh Knotts and Carson Stottlemyer are ready to suit up in blue and pink for their final Football for a Cure as they play for family members this Saturday.
Knotts, an outside linebacker, is playing for his mom, Ruth White, who is in remission after having her second bout with melanoma.
“She has always been there for me – for all my sporting events, at all my little league games no matter what sport it was football, basketball or baseball,” he said. “It is the last time I will be in a Football for a Cure game. It was something I felt was right to show her how much I care.”
Knotts added he was very proud and excited to play for his mom.
“We play with their names on our jersey,” he explained, adding the Wolves normally just play with their numbers on their jersey. “So this to be the one game out of the year to have a name on it and it to be my mom’s name instead of anybody else makes me very proud. It’s a great sign of respect to do it for someone I have cared for my entire life.”
As he gets ready to play he will think about every time his mom has rooted for him and how she will be in the stands continuing to root for him.
“I will go out there and give it my all since I will be playing for her,” Knotts added.
Stottlemyer, a defensive tackle, played for his Grandma Nippa last year who had breast cancer twice.
“My favorite memory from last season’s game was just seeing the expression on my grandmas face as she was watching me play and after the game,” he said. “It’s an incredible feeling seeing how much this game means to my loved ones.”
This year he is playing for another loved one – his uncle Curt, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Billiary cancer and is fighting it.
“He needs all the support he can get right now and I want to make him proud,” he said.
Stottlemyer added he is proud to represent his family for Football for a Cure.
“Being able to wear the nameplate on the back of my jersey is such a great honor,” he said.
Knotts, Stottlemyer and their teammates invite the community out for Football for a Cure. Money raised during the event goes to Clarkston’s McLaren Breast Center and Karmanos Cancer Institute. It goes patients in need of transportation, nutritional support, counseling and more.
“It is for a great cause and mean so much to all the players and family members involved,” Stottlemyer said.
“Clarkston is a tight-knit family community who always stick together,” Knott added. “Football for a Cure is one of the events we help each other out. It is a great reason to help raise money for those who need it the most for cancer. It shows how well we can do when we work together.”
For more information or to volunteer for the event, please email ClarkstonFootballforaCure@gmail.com.

  Football, Football for a Cure